Cambridge Innovation Capital appoints Sir Nigel Wilson as Chair
Former Rolls-Royce CFO Panos Kakoullis also appointed as a Non-Executive Director
11th September 2025 – Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC), the VC firm investing in the UK’s highest-potential deep tech and life sciences companies, announces the appointment of Sir Nigel Wilson, one of the UK’s most prominent business leaders, as Chair.
Wilson, who led the FTSE 100 pensions giant Legal & General Group as Chief Executive for more than a decade and is the current chairman of Canary Wharf Group, will succeed Edward Benthall on 25th September. Benthall retires after 12 years in the role, having been instrumental in the foundation of CIC and its subsequent growth.
Alongside Wilson, CIC has appointed Panos Kakoullis, former Chief Financial Officer of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee. Prior to Rolls-Royce, Kakoullis was the Managing Director of Deloitte’s Global Audit & Assurance Business, having worked for the firm for more than 30 years.
CIC has £600 million of assets under management and has invested in more than 40 companies, including robotics developer CMR Surgical, microchip manufacturer Pragmatic Semiconductor, and quantum computing business Riverlane. CIC is a preferred investor of the University of Cambridge, with a long-standing collaboration agreement that provides the team with privileged access to the most promising investment opportunities emerging from the University.
The appointments of Wilson and Kakoullis strengthen CIC’s board during a pivotal time for the UK’s technology ecosystem. Technology and life sciences were among the high-potential sectors identified by the government in its recent Industrial Strategy, while the Mansion House Accord will see pension funds commit to increased investment in private assets.
Sir Nigel Wilson, Chair at Cambridge Innovation Capital, said: “It’s an exciting time to be joining CIC. With strong sector expertise and a central position in Cambridge, one of the world’s most powerful science and technology ecosystems, CIC has built an excellent reputation and a proven track record of investing in leading technology companies. Cambridge is home to world-leading scientists, with notable companies such as Apple, Arm, AstraZeneca, Microsoft, and Siemens located here. The “Arc project” and Innovate Cambridge will deliver substantial economic growth to the region, further creating opportunities for CIC. I look forward to working with the team and its wider network of investors, co-investors, strategic partners and entrepreneurs, to support the next generation of globally impactful businesses emerging from Cambridge and beyond.”
Andrew Williamson, Managing Partner at Cambridge Innovation Capital, said: “Sir Nigel has demonstrated his vision and leadership over many years at the top of some of Britain’s most successful companies. With a globally recognised background in the financial sector, as well as working with successive governments in advisory and leadership roles, he will guide CIC during an exciting time for British technology and life sciences companies. With Nigel becoming Chair, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Edward Benthall for his tremendous efforts in first establishing, and then chairing the firm over the last 12 years. CIC would not exist nor be where it is today without him.”
ENDS
About Sir Nigel Wilson
Sir Nigel is also Chairman of Canary Wharf Group (CWG). Sir Nigel most recently held the role of Chief Executive of Legal and General from 2012 to 2024, having joined the company in 2009 as its Chief Financial Officer. Legal and General was voted Britain’s Most Admired Company in 2022 and 2023 and Sir Nigel was voted Britain’s Most Admired Leader in 2017. Legal & General managed $1.5 trillion.
Sir Nigel was knighted for services to the Financial Services Industry, Regional Development and Sport in the 2022 New Year’s Honours List.
Sir Nigel has served on the Business Councils of successive Prime Ministers. He was also a member of the Government’s Levelling Up Advisory Council, the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy Implementation Board and was a member of the Science and Innovation Council.
He was the Chair of the Investment Association’s review of Executive Pay (2016-2017), and the government’s review of Mission Led Business (2016-2017). Sir Nigel was also a member of the Government’s Patient Capital Review Industry Panel (2017-2018) and a Commissioner in the Resolution Foundation’s Intergenerational Commission (2017-2018). He has also chaired the Bank of England’s Climate Financial Risk Forum, Innovation Working Group.
Qualifications include a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a Kennedy Scholar and a recipient of the Alfred P Sloan research scholarship. Sir Nigel also worked at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Sir Nigel received a 1st Class Honours Degree and an MA in Economics from the University of Essex. He was also awarded Doctor of Civil Law from Newcastle University and a Doctor of Business Administration from Sunderland University in recognition of his work in Levelling Up, Regional Growth and University Commercialisation.
About Cambridge Innovation Capital
Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC) is an established VC firm in one of the world’s most impactful science and technology ecosystems, with a 12-year track record of identifying, supporting and exiting science-driven companies. Embedded in the UK innovation ecosystem and with privileged access to the University of Cambridge, CIC has unparalleled access to exceptional technical founders. Working closely with its investors, including major pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and family offices, CIC provides access to carefully constructed portfolios grounded in scientific innovation, long-term value creation and lasting positive impact. CIC manages over £600 million of capital and invests across deep tech and life sciences, from cancer therapies, genomic diagnostics and surgical robotics, to AI, semiconductors and quantum computing.
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